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Chemistry:
The ACE inhibitors fall into three distinct chemical groups:
- Sulphydryl-containing compounds e.g. captopril
- Dicarboxyl-containing compounds e.g. cilazapril, enalapril, imidapril, lisinopril, moexepril, perindropril, quinapril, ramipril and trandolapril
- Phosphorus-containing compounds e.g. fosinopril
With the exceptions of captopril and lisinopril, the ACE inihibitors are ester prodrugs. These prodrugs require hydrolysis by esterases to yield the active principle. The name of the active principle is the name of the parent compound with the suffix "at" e.g. enalaprilat.
A table of the pharmacokinetic properties of ACE inhibitors is available for reference purposes. Click here if you wish to view the table.
